Luke Messer Challenges Opponents to Participate in Two More Senate Primary Debates

Luke Messer today challenged his primary opponents to participate in two more debates before the Indiana Senate Republican Primary on May 8^th.

In the Americans for Prosperity debate this week, Messer was the adult on stage and stayed above the back and forth between his two primary opponents. Messer was and is “laser focused on beating Joe Donnelly.”

“Debates give Hoosier Republicans a chance to hear from all of us and make their own decision on who they think is the best candidate to defeat Joe Donnelly in November,” Messer said. “Hoosiers ought to know the broken U.S. Senate and Joe Donnelly are standing in the way of President Trump’s agenda. I’m laser focused on defeating Joe Donnelly and eager to share our winning message with more Hoosiers.”

Messer took aim at Democrat Joe Donnelly and the broken U.S. Senate during Tuesday’s debate. Multiple media accounts singled out Messer as the candidate who kept his focus on Joe Donnelly.

“Messer focused his attacks on Democrat Sen. Joe Donnelly… while portraying himself as the only adult among the candidates,” said the Associated Press account on the debate. Messer “stayed above the fray” and “stood largely unscathed in the middle,” according to other accounts.

In one key moment during the debate, Messer called out his primary opponents for attacking one another instead of Joe Donnelly.

“I’ll tell you who most likes this exchange — Joe Donnelly,” Messer said. “The only way Democrats can win in this state is when Republicans are divided and throw stones at each other.”

The day before the debate, Messer led his primary opponents in another Senate primary poll conducted by Indy Politics Political Pulse. Messer also won the Indiana State Republican Party’s U.S. Senate Straw Poll in January, which has been called the first major bellwether in the race.